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VIDEO AND SECURITY
Over the last five years, we’ve reviewed quite a few mobile color monitors, but none have been as large, or as spectacular, as Icon-TV’s F152WIR. This drop-down, roof mount monitor measures a huge 15.2 inches, offers several aspect ratios, including wide-screen 16:9, and is packed with a resolution of 854 x 480 red, green, and blue pixels. Watching a video on a 4-, 5-, or 6-inch monitor can leave much to be desired — especially in the details. Icon-TV’s large monitor brings high-resolution, home-quality video to the mobile environment. Plus, the F152WIR includes an Infra-Red Transmitter that sends the audio, in stereo, to the Icon-TV ICW-HP wireless headphones. The headphones are an optional accessory.
As always, before installation, we ran the monitor through our test lab and checked out all the features. The F152WIR runs on +12 volts DC constant and accessory and can be connected to the vehicle’s door switches to activate the built-in 3-way dome lights. The "brain" of this system is the AD6869 adapter which accepts two audio/video inputs to drive the monitor that connects via a very long DIN cable. The AD6869 sends the high-resolution video to the monitor as well as the stereo audio for the IR transmitter. This adapter also includes audio/video outputs that are useful for feeding additional monitors or interfacing to the car’s stereo system.
Power connections for the AD6869 and the F152WIR monitor can be low-current and we measured around 3 amps at full brightness on the back-lit screen. The small gray wire connects to the pin switch at the driver’s door so that the monitor’s dome lights work when the door is opened. Grounds were connected to the car’s chassis and the power connections were made on the load side of the radio and headlight fuses at the main fuse box. That’s it for the wiring.
The F152WIR flip-down monitor comes with plenty of universal hardware for attaching the monitor to the vehicle’s headliner. The size of the monitor housing is 460 millimeters (around 18 inches) x 355 millimeters (around 14 inches) and is 50 millimeters thick (around 2 inches). Likely vehicles include large cars, vans, SUVs, etc. As always, video displays should not be installed as a distraction for the driver, so we recommend the F152WIR be installed in back of the driver. Routing for the DIN and power cables is fed between the headliner and the vehicle’s chassis and then into the AD6869, which is typically installed in the trunk or behind the dash.
Sources for the two audio/video inputs can include digital cameras, lap top computers, DVD and CD players, TV tuners, video game systems, video cameras, VCRs, etc. The signal connections are the standard RCA phono type, and the AD6869 automatically scans for the first active source. Manually advancing through the inputs can be done with the buttons on the bottom of the dropped-down monitor or via the RC-1029A wireless remote control. We found the remote control to be extremely useful as well as intuitively easy to use.
Thanks to the on-screen menus and the remote control, it takes but a few minutes to complete the system set-up. For instance, depressing the MENU button on the monitor or on the remote control brings up the following menus: COLOR > CONTRAST > BRIGHTNESS > TINT > SCREEN MODE. Daytime viewing is typically done at the highest brightness, but we found the max brightness of the F152WIR at night can be too bright and required a quick adjustment. Each of these major menus can be expanded. The SCREEN MODE expands to Cinema, Normal, Zoom, and Wide. The display angle can be changed 110 degrees to accommodate virtually any seating position.
Summary
Our overall impression of the Icon-TV F152WIR 15.2-inch wide-screen video display is that it’s super-sized and increases the mobile viewing experience. Watching an action-packed DVD on a screen of this size is a great way to travel across the country. Playing a video game on a 4-inch screen can be a problem, but with Icon-TV’s huge display, both action and adventure games take on increased excitement. Add a few sets of Icon-TV’s ICW-HP wireless headphones, and the kids can play in the back of the SUV without distracting the driver.
Price & Contact: $2999; 718-752-9764, www.icontv.com
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